Brooklyn's Mist
by Randomness
Summary: This is a story about Spot, you may find it a little slow to begin with, or you may enjoy the beginning because it is from Spot's point of view. Someone new has come to Brooklyn and for Spot, trouble follows. READ IT!
1. Default Chapter

    Disclaimer: Gem, Eyes, Four Leaf (sorta) are mine. Spot isn't, much to my completely upsetness. It would be really great if he was though. 

**Brooklyn's Mist**  
by Randomness

Spot's POV 

    Welcome to Brooklyn, the name's Spot Conlon, maybe you've heard of me. I'm the most famous Newsie in all of New York, some people say in the whole world which is possible but since I've never been out of Brooklyn before, I couldn't tell yah. As you can tell, I'm a Newsie, I sell Papes for people like Joseph Pulitzer and William Hearst. Penny a Pape. I love being a Newsie, currently I can't think of being anything else but the leader of Brooklyn, not for the fame or all the stuff it gets me though. I like being the leader of Brooklyn because I like taking care of people. Sounds girly don't it? Well, I like knowing that because of me, some little Newsies are happier, Even if it does sound girly. Only problem with being a Newsie is it can get dull. Every Newsie in Brooklyn does the same thing everyday. We wake up before dawn and jump off the docks. Yeah, you heard me right. We jump off the docks. It's how we wake up in the morning. Could be worse; I hear in Manhattan, they dance around and do flips and sing all the way to the Distribution Centre. We get our papes and just start selling. We sell all day, go back to the Newsboys Lodging House and eat whatever we didn't sell. As you can see, life can get downright tedious sometimes. Yep, I said Tedious, I know what it means too. Surprised? You should be, I'm full of surprises.     Today was different then most days though. For one thing, I slept in, that has NEVER happened. I don't like Mr. Modo, the guy who runs the lodging house, well I don't like him coming in my room because there's usually a girl that I don't want to be found, so I get up before he comes to wake everyone up. Luckily, my 'guest' for the night had left last night after we were done so I didn't have any trouble when he came in to get me. I did miss my morning jump off the docks though, I was drowsy all day because of that. I was also late getting my papes this morning so I just barely was able to get my usual hundred. All in all, it was a bad day. That was probably why I didn't react the way I usually do when a problem arose.     It was about Lunch Time and I went to the Newsie's usual Lunch restaurant, the Golden Dragon. At night the joint was a bar but during the day, it was a restaurant that served pretty good food for a really cheap price. The guy who owned the Joint, William, AKA Billy the Bar Keep used ta be a Newsie so he cuts us real good deals. Wow, I get side tracked a lot don't I? Anyway, it was there that I ran into Four leaf. He's one of my Newsies, about 12 or 13, he was also waiting for me.     "Spot, I got a problem. Some guy came and took my selling spot. I've never seen him around before and he's got this cut little kid with him, they're stealing all my business and I can't move cause all the good spots are taken. What do I do?" He asked.     Four Leaf had this Hero worship thing going for me and usually I would have reacted entirely different, I would have gone to help him myself but I was tired and hungry, quite frankly I was downright grumpy. "Four Leaf, How old is this guy?" I asked sounding more annoyed then I actually felt.     "Bout 14 I think" He answered looking ashamed.     "Go and talk to the kid, tell him it's your selling spot, if he refuses to leave, soak him." I answered. I couldn't help it, I was sick of solving everyone's problems for them. Afer that, I went and got myself some food. Figured I'd take a swim after finishing my selling and then maybe I'd feel like a normal human being. Forgot all about Four Leaf.     Later that night, everyone was in and accounted for. I wasn't grumpy anymore and therefore (yeah, I said therefore. I know what that means too), I was back to being my good leader self. Hey, everyone has a bad day. That's when I noticed Four Leaf, he had a black eye.     "Hey kid, what happened?"     "You know the person that stole my spot? Well I tried soaking him like you said and he said he didn't want to fight. I said 'too bad' and I tried to punch him but he dodged and I ended up punching a wall. Then I tried again and I ended up knocking my face up on a pole." Four Leaf answered.     That was when I realized three things. One, I was going to have to teach the younger Newsies how to fight because they obviously couldn't. Two, I was either going to have to find Four Leaf another selling spot or take care of his problem for him. Three, no matter what, I had to either get this new Newsie into my group or get him out of Brooklyn. Looked like I wasn't gonna be selling the next day. 

Third Person POV 

    "Hey Eyes, who was that guy that was trying to hurt you?" Asked a little girl who seemed to be eight or nine. She had shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. She was in a washtub while her guardian was scrubbing her hair, trying to get the filth from their trip and day of selling out.     "I don't know, Gem. Some Newsie, we apparently took his spot." Eyes answered. This individual was dressed in trousers and a baggy shirt that used to be blue before it got dirty beyond recognition. He had blond hair that would have stopped halfway down his ears if it wasn't slicked back with water and if he was out selling, the outfit would have been topped off with a Newsie hat. His Eyes were was gave him his name. They were his most noticeable quality. One was Dark Pine Green, the other was a dark Sapphire blue and bother were speckled with gray making it look like a forest and an ocean covered in Mist.     "Didn't Dawg tell us not to get the Newsies here mad?" Gem asked, closing her eyes while Eyes dumped a cup of water over her head.     "Yeah, Dawg did tell us that, but Dawg isn't here. Besides, Brooklyn could use a little shaking up." Eyes answered, lifting Ge out of the tub and wrapping her in a towel. "Now get ready for bed Gem" He said, lightly pushing her towards where her bed clothes were. 

***Eyes' Flash Back*** 

    "I mean it Eyes, don't piss off Brooklyn." The one named Dawg almost shouted in frustration. He had plain brown hair and blue eyes and was dressed like a Newsie, had he been younger he probably could have easily passed as one, but he looked 22.     "Don't shout, you're going to wake Gem up" Eyes said gesturing at the child Dawg was carrying, who was indeed fast asleep.     "Eyes, remember, you aren't in Brooklyn to piss anyone off or to draw attention to yourself, you're here to hide. I still think you should tell Spot you're here, he can hide you better then anyone else in New York and no one will question it." Dawg said in a whisper.     "I can take care of myself, oh ye of little faith. Now go back to Chicago before the bulls realize you're in New York and try to arrest you again." Eyes said casually. "And take twiddle dee and twiddle dum with you." He said gesturing at the two tough looking guys that were standing just out of earshot.     "Eyes, we had a deal. Until you tell Spot you're here and give him the letter from me, Bark and Bite stay." Dawg answered in frustration. "I don't want you getting hurt, besides you have Gem to look after. So, if you don't want them following you, why don't you just take the easy way out and tell Spot you're here."     "Alright, Dumb and Glum can stay but they don't talk to me, follow me or associate with me. They only come and lend a hand if it's someone from SharkTooth's gang, if I'm in a fight with anyone from New York they aren't allowed to interfere unless I'm down and whoever it is goes after Gem. Agreed?" Eyes asked, getting just as annoyed with him as he was.     "Deal, take care of yourself, Eyes. You're like family to me. You know that right?" Dawg asked, in a rare display of emotion.     "Of course, you're like a big brother to me too." Eyes answered.     They both stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to say or do. Both weren't very good at Goodbyes.     "Well, I better be going if I'm going to catch that train back to Chicago...." Dawg said, handing Gem over to Eyes.     "Yeah, and I gotta find a place to stay, I'll probably end up in 'Sanctuary' If it's still in any good condition." Eyes said.     Dawg spit in his hand and extended it. "If you see my brother, call him a troll for me."     Eyes rested Gem on his hip and spit shook. "I will, See Yah..."     Dawg nodded his head and walked away into an Alley leaving Eyes and Gem looking after him. 

***End Flash Back*** 

    Sanctuary, that's where Eyes and Gem were. Sanctuary was commonly thought to be a myth. Every run away who found his way to Brooklyn heard about Sanctuary, the home for the homeless, and the hopeless. Everyone knew about it but very few people actually could find it. There were almost like caves, underground caverns. The size of a normal room. There were blankets and some food in Sanctuary and though there were almost 10 sanctuaries in Brooklyn, people always just referred to them as Sanctuary. The reason these places were considered myth was because they were incredibly hard to get into. The few people who got in, knew exactly how to get in and normally were told where to find them by the people who built them. It was in one of these caverns that Gem and Eyes were staying. There was a bunk bed with some blankets, a washtub, a water punk and a lantern. The way they got in was a hole in the bottom of a dumpster that had a piece of wood covering it. They jump in the dumpster, move the wood and slide into Sanctuary. Even the bulls heard about Sanctuary, though unlike most orphans, they knew it was true because kids they chased would run down one way alleys and vanish into Sanctuary.     "Eyes, I don't like the top bunk, why do I have to be up here again?" Gem whined while Eyes tucked her into bed.     "Because you're lighter then me, so if the bed falls through and you land on me, little to know damage will occur, if I'm on top and the bed falls we'll be in deep trouble." Eyes answered patiently. "Now go to sleep, little monster. We have a hard day tomorrow."     "Tell me a story" Gem demanded smiling cutely.     "Why should I?" Eyes asked in a faux snob voice.     "Because I'm the monster and I said so."     "Alright, as long as you promise not to eat me. Promise?" Eyes asked grinning.     "I promise" Gem answered solemnly. "Tell me about Prince Daniel"     "Alright, Prince Daniel was Prince. He was born into power and he got everything he wanted. One day, his parents were killed and he got banished, he ran away and ended up in another kingdom ruled by a tyrant. He killed the tyrant and was proclaimed king of that land. He stayed there and lived happily ever after, the end" Eyes said in a rush. He quickly kissed Gem on the cheek, turned out the light and was in bed before Gem yelled:     "Hey! That wasn't the story!"     Eyes laughed. "Go to Sleep!" He exclaimed but he received no answer, Gem was already fast asleep. 

    "Extra, extra Stock Market crashed all businesses going under!!" Eyes yelled at the top of his lungs. It wasn't a complete lie. The paper said that stocks were down a little and that sold 20 papes.     "That was a lie, Eyes" Gem said disapprovingly as they hurried to their selling spot from where that headline was used.     "A person who honestly believes a Newsie word for word is either incredibly naive or just doesn't have brains and besides, I was only improving it a bit. The headlines suck. Here's 10 papers, go sell them to that group of ladies. Do the cute thing." Eyes told her, shooing her away.     Gem certainly did look cute today. She was dressed in a pick dress and she had her hair in too braids fastened with pink ribbon. Sure the dress was stained and the ribbon was extremely ratty and faded but the overall effect was still cute. Almost instantly, all the women were buying papers from Gem.     Eyes watched her go to work. "Sometimes it's almost too easy..." He muttered to himself. As he walked towards the corner. "Pipes blown in Manhattan, Central Park completely under water!" He yelled, selling another two papes.     Gem walked back. "I'm out of papers, here's the money" She said handing Eyes the pennies.     "Good Job Kid, Here's ten more, work the crowd see what you can get." Eyes answered handing her more papers. 

    "Alright Four Leaf, I'll take care of your spot stealer for yah" Spot said as he walked away from the Distribution office.     "Really??" Four Leaf asked really hopefully.     "Of Course, I can't have other Newsies stealing a spot from one of my boys now can I?" Spot answers, ruffling Four Leafs hair.     "Nope. You gonna soak him?" Four Leaf asked, following Spot along the sidewalk.     "First I'll try to talk to him, maybe he's new and doesn't realize the rules." Spot said calmly. "And if he don't listen then I'll teach him a lesson he'll NEVER forget!"     "Yeah!" Four Leaf yelled. He was running to keep up with Spot's fast pace. 

    "Gem, you are a great Newsie, always stay this cute." Eyes exclaimed after they finished selling seventy-five papers in their first hour.     "Thank You!" Gem answered smiling. She loved compliments.     "You're welcome. Who else can we sell too?" Eyes asked looking around.     Gem looked the other way and suddenly got a worried expression on her face. "Um...Eyes, remember when Dawg told us not to get the Brooklyn Newsies mad at us?" She asked with a quiver in her voice.     "Yeah" Eyes answered, looking at Gem curiously.     "Well, two of them are coming this way and they're looking pretty mad!" Gem answered, she was near hysteria.     Eyes whirled around. "Oh My God! That's Spot Conlon, the kid ratted us out to Spot Conlon!" She grabbed Gem's hand and started walking away. "Gem, we casually walk in the opposite direction and hope he doesn't notice us leaving."     Gem hastily nodded her head and quickly started following Eyes. 

    "That's them Spot! They're leaving!" Four Leaf yelled angrily.     "I know, let's catch up to them, shall we?" Spot said before taking off after Eyes and Gem. 

    "Keep walking, Gem and don't look back." Eyes whispered when a hand landed on his shoulder.     "May I have a word with you please?" Spot said coldly from behind him.     "Um, we're kinda busy aren't we Gem? Lots of papers to sell" Eyes said without turning around.     "Yeah, lots of papers!" Gem answered nodding her head emphatically.     "I believe I'll have to insist. You see, you're selling in one of my boys selling spots and you need to stop." Spot said with authority.     Eyes' eyes filled with pride and he said "I didn't see his name on it"     "When he tried to tell you it was his spot, he ended up with a black eye and a bruised hand-" Spot started before being cut off.     "Caused by his own stupidity. He can find a different spot, Spot, because me and Gem are quite comfortable there, aren't we Gem." He answered.     Gem looked at Eyes as if he was insane. "Not so comfortable that we can't move." She answered quickly.     Eyes shook Spot's hand off his shoulder and continued walking, only then realized what the heck he did. From his expression you could almost see him berating himself, not from any actual fear of Spot but because he had been trying to avoid the Brooklyn leader. Eyes almost feared meeting up with him.     "Just keep walking and maybe he'll think we gave up the spot." He murmured to Gem as they continued to walk. 

    "You're just gonna let him talk to you like that?!" Four Leaf demanded of Spot.     Spot watched the retreating back. If that Newsie hadn't made it a matter of pride Spot probably would have let it go. Now, however, that wasn't an option. "No, I'm not."     He chased after this new Newsie and tackled him to the pavement. Spot turned Eyes over and pulled back his hand to punch only to freeze.     Eyes looked at Spot with this sheepish expression on his face that was almost as funny as Spot's shocked one. Eyes looked reassuringly at Gem who was screaming in fear.     Gem quickly quieted down. She knew that look, it meant everything was going to be fine.     Eyes looked back at Spot, who had lowered his fist and was sitting on Eyes' stomach looking shocked senseless. Had the situation been less awkward for Eyes, he probably would have laughed, but it was awkward so all he could manage was a small awkward smile and managed to squeak out "Hi Spot."     All Spot could say was "Oh my God!" 

    Author's Note: Okay, so it's a bit of a cliff hanger, but hey, at least it wasn't too horrible. I found our recently that my writing style stinks so I need a lot of GOOD criticism to counteract the bad. Spot is my absolutely favourite Newsie, and I've been trying to figure out how to write this story for a very long time. I also have these things that I like to surprise people so you will find out very soon that some things aren't as they appear. This story is for my absolutely best buddies Nat and Nikki, as well as my really close friend Anya who badgered me to let her read the various attempts at this story and I was so embarrassed that I never actually let her read it. PLEASE REVIEW!!!! 


	2. Truth comes out

Disclaimer: I own everyone except Spot and Jack. 

Author's Note: This chapter is for Merlin's Quill, Dagger and Riot. All of whom reviewed. I probably wouldn't be writting this yet if it weren't for you guys. I hope everyone likes it and appreciate the fact that I haven't written my English essay that is due in 2 days and I really should have instead of writting this, but what can I say? This is far more interesting. I feel I should point out that This Story takes place before the strike, 3 to 6 months before.   
Oh and,   
Merlin's Quill: Don't worry, Eyes and Gem are definitely not related to Spot *evil laugh*   
Nikki: I can too get away with this without getting flamed.   
Now, one with the show.   


**Brooklyn's Mist**  
by Randomness

    "Oh my God" was all Spot could say. His mind could barely process what was happening and it went on a type of autopilot.     "Think you could get off my stomach, Spotty Dog?" Eyes said half-joking.     Spot stood and offered Eyes a hand up, which Eyes thankfully took. "Four-Leaf, take the girl and sell for the day. Me and this Kid have something things to settle." He said dragging Eyes away with letting go. He seemed to remember something and turned. "You take care of that little girl. As far as I'm concerned, for now she's a Brooklyn Newsie." He grumbled and stormed away dragging Eyes behind him.     Four-Leaf looked at the little Girl. "Um, I guess I'm your selling partner for the day. What's your name?" He asked uncertainly. The only girl he ever knew was his mother, He wasn't good with Kids either.     "I'm Gem!" She said happily. "And you're lucky to be selling with me. Wanna know why?"     Four-Leaf could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Um...why?"     "Because if you sell with me, you sell with the best!" She said excitedly.     "Oh brother" Four Leaf muttered, taking Gem's hand and leading her to a better selling spot. "This is gonna be a long day...." 

    "You gonna tell me where we're going, Spotty Dog or is it a surprise?" Eyes asked in amusement.     Spot was still in autopilot and was just dragging Eyes to a place where they could discuss Eyes sudden reappearance without any interruptions. They were heading for the Brooklyn Bridge.     "Oh No!" Eyes yelled with a voice full of fear as they started to cross the bridge. "We ain't going where I think we're going are we?"     Spot didn't answer but just kept going.     Eyes looked petrified. "Spot, we can't do this. We ain't kids anymore! Do you even realize how dangerous this is?? We haven't even tried this since we were 7 years old!!" Eyes started to rant.     Spot just kept going, until he reached his destination, about a third of the way across the bridge. He turned to Eyes. "You go first."     A strange look came across Eyes' Face. Eyes smirked almost dangerously and answered. "Okay, but if I die, I blame you" .     "Okay, go" Spot said emotionlessly. He was still trying to assimilate Eyes appearance in Brooklyn at all.     "All right, you asked for it!" Eyes said dangerously. In one swift motion, Eyes kissed him quickly on the lips then grabbed the bottom railing and swung underneath the bridge.     "Oh my God." Spot murmured to himself. "Amanda Sullivan just kissed me..."     Soon both Eyes and Spot were straddling a beam, leaning against one that was upright behind them. Underneath them was the East River. No one would bother them now.     "What are you doing back in New York, Amanda?" Spot growled.     Eyes, aka Amanda raised an Eyebrow. "It's nice to see you too Spotty Dog." She said sarcastically, the smirk never leaving her face. "You know, I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news but unless we've both kept in incredibly good shape, we aren't going to be able to get back on the bridge."     "We'll deal with that later." Spot said, running his fingers through his hair a few times while trying to think of what to say or do.     "Well since you found me, I might as well tell you. Brooklyn's Guard Dawg told me to call you a troll for him and to say sorry he couldn't stick around but he didn't want another run in with the bulls. He isn't legally allowed back in New York for another 3 years."     Spot's brain was now almost completely thawed. "I haven't laid eyes on you in five years, Amanda. Care to share what you've been doing all that time?" He asked, trying not to sound as curious as he actually was or how worried he had been.     Amanda took a moment to consider what to tell him and then she started her tale. "Basically. Last you saw me, Franky and me were breaking Jess out of the refuge, right?" Eyes asked.     "Yeah, that sounds about right." Spot said thinking back sadly to that time in his life. It wasn't a pretty time for him.     "Right, well basically. We agreed to go our separate ways but I saw the guards were nearly on top of Franky, even though those throwbacks from the dark ages didn't realize it. I distracted them and Franky and Jess got away. I didn't. Spent a couple years in the Refuge, broke out with Dawg, went to Chicago, got in trouble and came back here" Eyes answered casually.     "Snyder couldn't keep you in the refuge, you're a girl." Spot stated disbelievingly.     "He can if he shaves my head, keeps my face dirty and gives me a private room. At least he could until I was 14 and broke out."     "Well that explains the short hair, and the General maleness that you have going. Does your brother know your in New York?" Spot asked almost-worried, he may have been powerful but he didn't want another blow up with Jack.     "No, he doesn't know, and he isn't going to know. As long as you don't tell him that is" Eyes answered.     "And if he recognizes you? What are you gonna do then huh?"     Eyes looked at Spot in disbelief. "Do you honestly think he'll recognize me? He barely laid eyes on me my whole life, why would he recognize me now huh?"     "I recognized yah..."     "Yeah, well I practically lived at your house for most of my childhood, does it really surprise you that much?"     "I guess not.....So we don't tell Jack?" Spot clarified.     "Who's Jack?" Eyes asked confused.     "Sorry, Amanda. I meant Franky. He goes by Jack Kelly now. Okay, since you're staying in Brooklyn, you're staying with me. Don't bother to argue this Amanda. We'll share my room and you'll go on pretending to be a boy while you're here. I assume you remember how to sell papes?" He asked inquiringly.     "Yes."     "Good. I suppose you can go by the name Manders or something. That sounds almost guyish, until we can find you a Newsie name."     "I have a Newsie Name." Eyes interrupted.     "Oh and what's that?" Spot asked, more annoyed then ever at being interrupted.     "Misty Eyes. Dawg picked it. It got modified to Mr. Eyes for a while and a lot of people just call me Eyes."     "Alright, Eyes it is. One more thing that's kinda bugging me. Why'd you help Jack?" Spot asked as he started to get up.     "It's no surprise that I hate Jack, you know that, but he's my brother and I'm loyal to family. I still hate him and would like to see him rot in hell but I don't want him stuck with Snyder. That man creeps me out." Eyes smiled at Spot for the first time since they ran into each other. "Now how are we going to get out of here? Since we didn't bring our rope ladder."     "To be quite honest, I forgot we needed a rope ladder to get back up...." Spot said blushing slightly.     "I figured as much."     "Why'd you kiss me?" Spot asked, suddenly remembering what happened before they ended up under the bridge.     "Because I'm evil, mean and heartless." She answered, the smirk returning to her face. "I think I have an Idea."     "What?" Spot asked, he didn't notice when the smirk disapeared but he certainly noticed when it reappeared again. There was something about that smirk that almost made him believe he was talking to a different person intirely.     "How far down would you say the river is?" She asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.     "Too far! Don't even try it Amanda." Spot said in a warning tone.     "What are you afraid I'm gonna jump?" Eyes asked standing on the beam that she had been sitting on. She looked incredibly amused.     "Weren't you the one who said it was dangerous?" Spot asked, as his stomach filled with knots.     "Yes, but now we're down here and we have no way to get back up so we might as well have a little fun. Shouldn't we?" She asked jumping to the next beam over.     "This is insane Amanda!" Spot nearly yelled.     "What? Is the famous Spot Conlon scared?" She asked innocently before jumping to the next one. Below her is nothing but air.     "I'm gonna regret this." Spot murmured to himself before following her. 

    "Wow, you are good at this" Four-Leaf told Gem as they were walking back to the distribution centre to gt more papes.     "Dawg said that that's because I'm an anamolony."     "A what?" Four-Leaf asked, completely baffled.     "Something unusual. People don't usually see little girl Newsies so they'll more likely buy from them. Least that's what Dawg said."     "Well you can sell with me anytime. I've never sold this many papes. Even splitting the money evenly, I've never made this much." Four-Leaf exclaimed keeping tight hold on the little girl's hand.     Another Newsie saw him approaching.     "Hey Four-Leaf! You done selling already?" Midget asked. He was one of the older Newsies, almost 17 but he had been a Newsie since he was three and though he was quite tall now, the old name stuck.     "Yeah, Spot let me borrow Gem here for the day and she's downright magic. She cleared out all my papes in an hour." Four-Leaf Gloated as he bought another hundred papes.     "Well ain't you lucky. Where has Spot been anyway? He hasn't been near his selling Spot all day."     "He had to deal with someone who's been selling in Brooklyn without his permission." Four-Leaf said matter of Factly. "I hope he lets the new kid stay though...."     Midget looked at Four-Leaf in surprise, he knew this 'new kid' had been stealing Four-Leaf's spot. "Why?"     "Because he's the one that brought Gem and if he sticks around maybe I can borrow Gem more often." He answered. "Gotta go, Midget. See yah later."     "Hey Gem!" A tall man whispered from an alley right where Gem was walking with Four-Leaf.     Gem turned and saw who it was then ran into the alley with Four-Leaf running after her, desperately trying to catch her before anything bad could happen.     Four-Leaf finally caught her hand and pulled her behind him while facing this strange man. "So, you're Gem's guardian while Eyes is with Spot huh?" The man asked amused by the whole situation.     Four-Leaf put on a brave front even though he knew he couldn't take this person in a fight. "Yeah, that's right. If you want her, you'll have to go through me."     "You're brave kid but Gem here is my pal, ain't that right Gem?" The man said kindly.     "Yep!"     "I just need ta talk to the kid for a second. You can even stay if you want." The man said Gently.     "Only if you tell me your name." Four Leaf answered, holding Gem's hand even though she was trying to squirm away.     "Alright, I expect this to stay between us though..." He answered and continued after four-leaf nodded. "I'm Guard-Dawg Conlon. Though most people just call me Dawg...."     Four Leaf's Jaw dropped. "Guard Dawg of Brooklyn? Greatest newsie leader ever!?"     The man smiled vainly at the praise. "I used to be a Brooklyn leader but I doubt I could claim most famous..." He said smugly.     "You're second only to Gables Conlon, first leader of Brooklyn!" Four-Leaf almost yelled.     "So, I assume you'll let me talk to my protege?"     "You're what?"     "Gem, can I talk to Gem?" Dawg stated plainly.     "Oh! Of course" Four-Leaf said, releasing Gem to talk to Dawg. 

    "Amanda! This is Insane!" Spot yelled when they got to a huge gap between beams. Only a fool would not be afraid, but Amanda wasn't.     "Come on, Spot. It's only a little fun..." She said still smirking.     "No, That's it, we're done beam hopping. We're going to carefully walk down this beam until we get to Brooklyn and then were going to get off this bridge. No arguments, no reinterpretations. Got it?!" He almost yelled.     "Yeah, I got it." She answered. The smirk was off her face but there was still on evil glint in her eye.     "Now, let's go." He muttered angrily. Spot had never been so scared in his life. He didn't like being scared, so he became angry at everyone and everything because of it. 

    "Gemstone, I need you to promise not to tell Eyes I was here. Promise?" Dawg asked. He was on his knees so he could talk eye to eye with Gem.     "Doesn't she know you're here?" Gem asked in confusion.     "Nope, she thinks I'm on a train back to Chicago as we speak but I couldn't leave just yet. See my baby brother lives here. Eyes and him used to be good friends but I need to tell about what happens to Eyes sometimes so he can help keep her safe."     "But Dawg, It hasn't happened to Eyes in a LONG time." She said using her hands to emphasise.     "That's because you're there Princess. When you aren't with Eyes it still happens sometimes. So I need you to give Spot this letter for me. Promise?" Dawg asked holding out a sealed envelope.     "I promise, but how will I know who he is?" She asked, taking the letter and stuffing it down the front of her dress.     "He sort of looks like me." Dawg said while trying to think of a description of his brother that Gem would easily remember. "He has a cane with a gold top, a key tied around his neck on a shoe lace and a slingshot on him at all times."     "Alright, I'm gonna miss ya Dawg. You were like my dad or something." Gem started to say as tears filled her eyes.     "Nah, you ain't gonna miss me. Wanna know why?" Dawg asked as he lift her chin to look at him.     "Why?" She asked, her little Lip shaking.     "Because I'm with yah all the time. That's why. You can't get rid of me as easily as you think, runt. Whenever you need ta talk to me, just close your eyes and you'll see me, simple as that." Dawg whispered giving her a hug and then standing. He brought Gem back to Four-Leaf.     "Come on Gem, let's sell us some papers." Four-Leaf said, knowing that Dawg wanted them to leave.     They were almost out of the alley when Dawg suddenly yelled. "Hey Gem"     Gem turned to look at Dawg.     "You're still my Best Girl" He said blowing her a kiss and then heading up a fire Escape.     Gem watched him depart and whispered. "I'll always be your best girl..." 

    "Hey Spot, where was yah all day?" Match-Box asked. He was Spot's age and was one of Spot's closest friends. He was also one of the 4 Brooklyn advisors. Though decisions about how to run Brooklyn were always strictly in Spot's hands. He got their opinions because they seemed to perceive things in a different light since they were all so different.     "I was playing hopscotch just under the Brooklyn Bridge." He answered sarcastically while he pulled Eyes through the window with him. They were on the fire escape with Spot's four advisors. MatchBox, SwitchBlade, Mousetrap, and Mystery.     "And, who's the new kid?" Mystery asked. Like all the other advisors, he was older than Spot. Some people say that Spot made those older than him advisors so they wouldn't try to take the leadership of Brooklyn, but Spot hasn't ever mentioned anything about it.     "This is Mr. Eyes. An old Friend of mine from before I became a Newsie. Him and his kid Sister Gem'll be stayin here for a while. They'll get the spare bed in my room since there ain't any free bunks right now." Spot said, his stance almost yelling the authority he held.     "That sounds fine, it'll be interesting having a girl in the Lodging house, but isn't that against the rules somewhere?" Matchbox asked, his eyes full of Mischief.     "Yeah, but there's a loop hole, girls have ta have older brothers to take care of them and Eyes here'll take care of her." Spot answered.     "He any good at selling?" Mystery asked. He could be called the paranoid one of the group.     "Yeah, he's one of the best. Learned with me from Dawg." Spot answered.     "I think I speak for everyone when I say that we don't have any objections and we'll back you up on this." Mousetrap interrupted.     "Thanks." Spot said, bringing Eyes to his room through another window and selling out the rest of the world.     "What was that about?" Eyes asked. "I thought you were the grand high leader of Brooklyn"     "I am" Spot said quickly. "Those people were the only Newsies that were older then me when I came to power that didn't get kicked out during the lovely little coup d'etat I had to pull. They're Smart and usually are a big help. Plus if they completely back me up it makes transitions a lot easier."     Eyes looked around the room and dropped her and Gem's Bag on their new Bed. "What's Franky Been doing lately?"     "He's basically, the unofficial leader of Manhattan."     Eyes burst out laughing. "You're kidding!"     "No, I'm not. What's so funny?" Spot asked, nearly insulted.     "It's just, you're the leader of Brooklyn and he's the unofficial leader of Manhattan." Eyes answered, trying to control her laughter.     "Your point?"     "Well, you were Born in Manhattan and Franky was Born in Brooklyn, that just struck me as incredibly funny."     Spot shook his head in defeat. "Get some sleep Eyes, I'm going to go talk to the guys." He said, leaving the room. 

    "That's gotta be him...." Gem muttered as she saw Spot enter the bunkroom. "He's got the cane, and the slingshot...I can't see a Key anywhere, but he even looks a bit like Dawg..."     She tiptoed over to him as quietly as she could. This guy scared her a little. He wasn't open like Four-Leaf, or joking like Dawg.....He was different.... "Um, excuse me. Mr Spot?" She asked quietly as she tugged on his sleeve.     He turned and looked at her curiously. "Yeah? Whaddya want?"     "Um, are you Mr. Spot Conlon?"     He gave her the famous Conlon Grin. "That would be me."     "I'm supposed to give you this. I can't tell you were I got it though and you can't tell Eyes about it, Promise?" She whispered to him very seriously.     "Sure, I promise." Spot answered casually.     "Alright, here." She said giving him the letter. Gem ran and hid behind Four-Leaf as soon as it was in Spot's hand. 

    It was a clear sky that Night, and a full moon. The streets were deserted because of the late hour and it seemed like nothing was moving at all. Spot approached the end of the Dock and carefully watched for any signs of life.     A hand reached out of the Shadows, slowly and carefully and when that hand shook Spot, he jumped a mile.     "Got yah, Puppy Dawg" Dawg said laughing as he stepped out of the shadows.     "Dawg! If I wasn't so glad ta see yah I'd probably soak yah" Spot yelled as he hugged his brother.     Dawg laughed again. "Yeah, you'd try, You'd never succeed though. Don't forget who taught you how ta fight."     Spot was smiling ear to ear. The mask he wore while leading Brooklyn was completely gone now.     "I'm here to talk about Eyes." Dawg said sitting down. "There are a few things you should know about her."     "There's very little I don't know about her." Spot answered sitting down too.     "That was then, this is now. Little AmSam has been away for a VERY long time and came back as Misty Eyes, there a some things that happened to her that even I don't know. All I know is what the results were."     "I'm listening." Spot said, leaning closer to catch every word.     "For one thing, she's petrified of heights. I know she never used to be but now she is. Simple as that. My theory is that it's because of that nasty fall she took out of that tree 7 years ago. Nest thing and probably the most important. Try to keep Gem with her as often as possible. When Gem ain't with her, and Eyes is really scared, she changes. Eyes practically becomes someone different, She's reckless, careless; Frankly, she doesn't give a damn about anything when she's like that. Especially her own life."     "Does she smirk when she's like that?" Spot asked, as tiny little men with sledgehammers were turning his stomach to a mess of mush.     "Yeah, You've seen it?" Dawg asked calmly.     "Yeah, I've seen it. How do you prevent it?"     "Keep Gem with her, no matter what's going on, she doesn't change when Gem's around. A guy in Chicago says it's a defence mechanism and that something REALLY traumatic musta happened for it to have developed but if she feels safe or has someone she needs to protect, it doesn't happen no matter how dangerous the situation. Simple as that. One more thing you should know." Dawg continued.     "Yeah?"     "When she changes back and forth, she doesn't seem to realize she does it. It all seems perfectly logical in her mind. She doesn't question it, and keep her away from Franky. She blames him for an awful lot..."     "But she said it was her call ta stay in the refuge..." Spot said extremely confused.     "I never said she blamed him for that." Dawg answered, reaching over to mess up Spot's hair a little. "You need a hair cut."     "You always say that, unfortunately for you though, I like my hair so I ain't gettin it cut" Spot answered smiling. It really was good to see his brother again.     "It's been fun, Puppy Dawg, but now I really gotta go." Dawg said after a moment of hesitation. "You don't need me hanging around Brooklyn so I'm gonna head back to Chicago, honestly this time. You've done a great Job here Kid. You're a better leader than I was."     Spot looked up at his brother, the kid who ran Brooklyn and raised him when their parents died. "No, not yet." He answered     They spit-shook and Dawg walked away leaving Spot to stare at his reflection over the dock and try to figure out what he was going to do.... 

    AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, this went a little longer then I thought it would and it probably seems really confusing right now. If it sounds a little cliche now, it might be and it probably will sound even more cliche in the next episode but there is still the extremely uncliche element of Amanda hating Jack. Has that ever honestly happened in a Newsie Story where Jack's Sister hates him? If you've heard of one could you tell me? I'd love to read it.     That's another thing I should mention. Amanda Hates Jack. I personally don't. I didn't making a Jerk or a hateable guy at all. She has her reasons which you'll find out later. You'll probably even hear Jack's side of it. PLEASE REVIEW!! It's a proven fact that I get work down quicker if I get reviews. This would have been done weeks ago if it wasn't for Family crisis. See yah soon! 


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